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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $300.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Sharp, bright and solid lens

Cons:

Lens hood is a bit flimsy, wish there was some sort of electrical connection like the Nikon version of this lens so that it will be showed in the EXIF data

Bought this lens for my Sony A7m2 full frame mirrorless camera to get a bit more range than my 24-70mm zoom. This fits the bill as it is still compact, while giving me the bit more reach I wanted. Not up in quality to the Sony/Zeiss lenses, but for the money it can't be beat.

titi_elsass

Registered: December 2009Posts: 7

Samyang/Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical review by titi_elsass

Review Date: 1/3/2014

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $250.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Usable at f/1.4, fantastic bokeh

Cons:

minimum focus distance is a bit long (1m)

This is actually my favourite lens for portraits, on Canon 5D MarkII.

The sharpness is surprisingly good at f/1.4, and razor sharp at f/2.8. Without noticeable chromatic aberrations.

I had in the past the Zeiss-Contax 85mm f/1.4, which is better built, but suffers from its too simple optic formula and was too soft at f/1.4. This Samyang is clearly better at wide apertures!

Moreover, the bokeh is really fantastic which is a great plus for portraits!

The lens is well built, only the lens hood is a bit cheap and no pratical to put, so I've tuned it : a metal lens hood (standard 72mm - not too long) + a lens hat. With that metal hood, it's a very sturdy/well finished pack.

If you don't mind using manual focus (live-view manual focus help a lot - or precision glass for viewfinder), this lens is very good option at a bargain price.

formercanuck

Registered: November 2013Posts: 1

Samyang/Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical review by formercanuck

Review Date: 11/16/2013

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10

Pros:

build quality, sharp, metal body, fast, smooth focus ring, bokeh

Cons:

manual focus, difficult to focus at the long range at f/1.4, min focus = 1m/3'

The only 'bad' thing (subjective) is that its manual only lens.
This lens was a gift - and takes great pictures on my Pentax K-30.

It can be difficult to focus wide open - especially if the subject is at the far end (7-15'm or greater) as its very little movement with a huge change in range, with little DoF.

Image is sharp across with the K-30, as its an APS-C and this lens is FF design. It works well with the Pentax focus indicator as well.

Other uses for this lens - video (manual focus recommended). The smooth focus ring is excellent for shooting video.

In general - if you're looking for a fast, inexpensive sharp portrait lens with great bokeh... this is a very good deal.

dugong5pm

Registered: October 2012Posts: 52

Samyang/Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical review by dugong5pm

Review Date: 12/25/2012

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $350.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

sharp, superb optics, lightweight, CHEAP!!!

Cons:

none for the price

a very recommended portrait lens, especially for the price.

This lens simply delivers high quality results when used properly. I have owned the Nikkor AF-D 85/1.4 and the zeiss 85/1.4 and believe it or not, this Rokinon/Samyang can compete with those lenses. The only main difference is on the tone they produce.

Sharpness is okay, even wide open. It's tack sharp when you nailed the focus (it's a 85/1.4, it has an ultra-thin DoF). Bokeh is creamy and always fantastic. It easily creates stunning portrait photos right away.
This lens has good ergonomics. It has wide & smooth focusing ring. Compared to other modern 85/1.4, this lens is feather-weight. Thanks to the mostly plastic shell. Construction feels good, and it also comes with a plastic hood to protect the front element.

Final words, this is the lens for portraits. For the price, it can't go wrong. you'll get 85/1.4 performance for the price of 85/1.8.. sweet!